1957 Volkswagen Beetle - Classic

Beetle Coupe

4 - Cyl.

Manual

1102292063

Clear

Gasoline

Up for grabs is my 57' Oval Ragtop.. This has been my project over most of the last year. I found the car in Kenewick Wa (very dry) and purchased from a knowledgeable VW Collector. Provenance and receipts show the car spent some time in Oregon with owner that spent a lot of money on this car. When I purchased the car it had most of it's original Horizon Blue paint on it, although it was beyond tired. What sold me on the car was how it drove. This car sits on a 1977 Pan. The car is titled as a 1957. Because of the pan and related pan serial number, the title is a 1957 assembled VW. The title is in my hand and in my name. It took a lot of effort to title the car as 57 instead of 77. If you know how a 1957 drives, you'd understand why you'd want a car that has a real suspension and brakes. This car has four wheel disc brakes, IRS Freeway Flyer transaxle, sway bars front and rear, drop spindles in front, etc. The motor is a 2110 with dual webers. The motor is sorted out and makes great power. The combination of power, proper gearing, and brakes make this the best driving VW I have ever owned. Car is shod with Fuchs 2.0 (914 style) chromed alloy wheels and brand new Toyo Proxes tires. If this is not to your liking, buyer has options of Empis, Rivieras, and whitewall Coker's. I spend a lot of time on the stance you see. After purchasing the car, it went straight to the body shop for total repaint. Car was taken down to metal. Very little body work was required and zero rust repair needed. Dash, jambs, trunks were all done, new door , trunk, window seals and fender welts obviously done. Car was shot in a 2008 Honda Glacier Blue. Photos sometimes do not show colors well. Just look for a metallic silver blue late model Honda and you'll see what it looks like. The paint is near flawless two stage and cost a lot of money. After paint, Fat Mat sound deadener was installed inside doors, rear quarters, and on rear floors. Front and Rear seats were rebuilt with new foam, painted, and covered with a tasteful vinyl weave from TMI. Door Panels were replaced as was the Carpet. Reproduction Steering wheel, speedo bezel, speaker grill, and grab handles were installed. I found a rare NOS VDO Tach for the center speaker grill as well as a complimentary ivory shift knob for shifter. Shifter is super precise and a joy to use. Like any project, the last 5-10% is the hardest to finish. There are a few things that keep this from being a show car. The new paint is begging for new chrome Wofsburg West bumpers. Present bumpers are driver quality only. The mostly new interior also makes what was once a decent headliner look more tired...The Ragtop is near new navy canvas that looks dynamite and works/locks up tight. Some of the wiring behind the dash could use minor help. Have yet to hook up E-brake handle because cables seem a little long for the new rear disc brake setup. Car is presently a turn key driver that turns heads everywhere it goes. New owner will be thrilled with the car. I am happy to store car for next owner for reasonable amount of time and supervise loading for transport or fly in and drive it home. My reserve will remain undisclosed but is far less than my investment or any other comparable 57 out there. Thanks!On May-18-10 at 11:46:13 PDT, seller added the following information: Click to open supersize image Click to open supersize image Click to open supersize image Click to open supersize image Click to open supersize image Click to open supersize image Click to open supersize image On May-18-10 at 15:21:05 PDT, seller added the following information: Click to open supersize image Click to open supersize image Click to open supersize image On May-18-10 at 16:24:47 PDT, seller added the following information: Click to open supersize image On May-19-10 at 03:35:37 PDT, seller added the following information: bubbasev Store Click here to get variations at Auctiva.com On May-19-10 at 08:14:25 PDT, seller added the following information: Click to view supersize image Click to view supersize image Click to view supersize image On May-19-10 at 08:33:34 PDT, seller added the following information: Click to see supersized image Click to see supersized image On May-20-10 at 09:51:36 PDT, seller added the following information: Hello all, Wanted to clarify a few things based on the questions I am receiving. One of the best things about Classic bugs is the endless ability to make the car your own based on aftermarket parts that are out there. The Muffler shown on the car is a "Mondo" ceramic coated muffler made to look just like it is. I thought it would look more appropriate when I bought it! I do have and can install a much lower profile muffler on the car that would dramatically increase rear ground clearance. (although it is not ceramic coated, I could re-spray in silver). This would be a 15 minute job. The other muffler has been on the car and runs and sounds great with it as well. If you do not want heater boxes, the system of choice for the car would be a stainless A-1 sidewinder system with hideaway muffler. This would set you back $700, but arguably worth it. One of the pics shows the car with Rivera wheels but know the backspacing of the wheel in rear make for a tighter fit to fenders. The Empi 8-spokes are gray in color and have the Big/Little Cal look 135's in front and 165's in rear. It all a matter of taste/preference. I noticed yesterday that the tires on the car are NOT Toyos. (have a lot of cars and get confused) They are new Federal Formoza's. This was the only tire I could find that would allow me to match front and rear tread pattern and give me the rake/stance I was after. On the issue of title, the car is clearly a 1957. It just sits on a 1977 pan. The VIN numbers for VW's are stamped on the pan on top of the tranny tunnel near rear seats. Usually, a VW is titled to the year of the pan. So if you put a dune buggy body on a 62 pan, you will get a 1962 dune buggy. Generally speaking the older the title states the car is, the better. In some states, emissions testing exemptions, classic car designation, etc are based on year. This is why I went to trouble to title the car as 1957. The ASVE designation simply indicates that the car was assembled using a pan from different year but that the car is a 1957. Hope that helps. Willing to work with buyer to install other muffler or tire/wheel combo of choice. For the uninitiated, putting a car together like this is not for the faint of wallet. It is very hard to find a painter that will do a complete repaint anymore because there is no money in it. Way too labor intensive. The juicy in and out collision jobs pay their bills. The paint work on my car was not a "blow and go" job. The car was taken to metal, doors , fenders, front and rear decklids all came off the car. Again, know that I started with rust free car with mostly original paint. I have pics of car prior to paint showing this. The job took months and thousands of dollars. The interior was installed by a professional and it shows. Forgot to mention that the battery is a new Optima. Continue with your questions! Keith